Apathy and Urgency
by certifiedkurtsie
Summary: Kurt and Blaine are demigods half mortal, half-Olympian god , and are fighting for their lives in a world that doesn't seem to want them alive. This is based on Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series.
1. Chapter 1

"Who's the newcomer?" Blaine whispers to Jason as two campers carry a pale boy up the hill and towards the Big House. "Is he okay?"

"I don't know yet," Jason admits, rubbing his neck. "But I helped get him bandaged and everything. He's got some nasty bruises though. Very pale boy. Thin, too. I don't know how he lasted so long. Has a pretty face. Probably is an Aphrodite kid."

"Were you checking him out?" Blaine teases, and laughs when Jason blushes.

"I am as straight as Apollo's arrows," Jason retorts. "Plus, I was hoping that he would be more of your type."

"I am not going to fall in love with the first gay guy that you meet," Blaine sniffs. "I'm sorry, but I would like to think that I have higher standards than that."

"Come on Blaine, I'm just trying to help. That last time with Jeremiah—"

"Okay, that incident is something that should never be mentioned again, even on pain of death," Blaine says quickly. "Let's just… Let's go see if we can help."

The two boys walk together towards the Big House, and Jason gives himself a secret smile.

* * *

"He'll be fine," Chiron assures Jason gently. "You managed to stop most of the bleeding, so he should heal in a few days."

"Do you know what his name is?" Blaine asks curiously.

"One of the campers told me that his name was Kurt," Chiron replies. "I hope that he'll be claimed soon. Hermes cabin is getting much too full…"

Chiron walks out of the room and Jason kneels down, inspecting the bandages, making disapproving noises. "He needs the spider silk bandages. These won't last long."

"How do you know?" Blaine asks stupidly. While he's absolutely amazing with instruments and singing, he sucks at the healing part. That's more of Jason's forte.

Jason points at a red spot on the boy's upper arm. "That's blood. It's already starting to leak through. I'll go change them. Wait here and watch him for me."

Jason gets up and Blaine sits down, crossing his legs, staring at the boy. He looks really young, with an almost angelic face. Blaine would have thought that he was a ten-year-old if it wasn't for the boy's height. He had a long, thin frame and pale skin. The little rays of sunlight illuminated his chocolate brown hair.

There is no way this boy can be in any cabin _but _Aphrodite. He's too beautiful.

_Don't get attached Blaine, _he thinks. _You're just watching him until Jason comes back with the bandages._

But his fingers creep forward until he finds himself stroking at the skin on his cheek. It feels so silky, so soft, and Blaine grabs the nearest washcloths and rubs a bit of dirt off of his face.

Jason knocks at the door, carrying a small box. He settles down, opens it, and begins to work on the boy with a precision and air of someone who was very skilled in their job. Jason also cleans his arms and legs so that there's no more dirt or blood on his skin, and dabs some of the medicinal mixture that heals cuts and bruises and gets rid of scars.

Brushing his hands, Jason gets up and smiles satisfactorily. "There. He'll be just fine. But I'll ask Chiron to care for him, just in case he wakes up."

"I'll do it," Blaine blurts out, feeling his blush going below his collarbone and into the roots on his hair.

"Are you sure?" Jason asks, tugging down his sleeves. "I mean, no offense, but you kind of suck at healing."

"Thanks bro," Blaine says dryly. "But you can help me. Eric can give me a hand, too, if he wants to."

"Well, in that case, he's all yours," Jason says, walking out the door. "Don't do anything stupid!" he shouts over his shoulder, and Blaine hears the sound of the door closing.

He stretches out on the floor, looking at the boy. Blaine wonders what colors his eyes could be. If he was lucky, maybe blue eyes. Oh, Blaine loved blue eyes so much. Green would be even better.

Blaine yawns and snuggles his head against the blankets, looking at the boy one last time to make sure that he is asleep, and dozes off himself.

"Blaine, wake up. Bro, wake up now. Blaine!" Jason shouts.

* * *

Blaine mutters something and rolls onto his side, his hand touching the boy's face. Jason sniggers and shakes Blaine a little harder. "Blaine, come on, dinner is ready."

He sighs and blinks wearily. "What?"

"Dinner time," Jason says happily. "Stop snuggling with the kid and let's eat!"

"I wasn't snuggling," Blaine retorts.

Jason rolls his eyes. "Okay, you can be in denial, that's cool. But we got to get our butts down there before Mr. D has my ass on a platter."

Blaine stretches his arms, yawning, and throws off the blankets. "How long was I sleeping?"

"For about a few hours," Jason replies, pulling Blaine out the door. The cool night air hits Blaine full-force and he takes a deep breathe.

"Smells great," Blaine comments as they walk towards the dining pavilion. There's a line of Apollo campers, and Jason claps his hands and calls them into place.

"Get in line! You know the order!" Blaine is third in line, right behind Lilia.

When all of them are in order, Jason leads them to the dining area and they get their food. Blaine doesn't really realize how hungry he is until he's hit with the delicious smell of barbeque chicken.

They all scrape off a part off their plate and toss it into the fire, and Blaine whispers, "Father," before throwing in the juiciest chicken he can find.

"Shish ish delishioush," Blaine says through mouthfuls of chicken and mashed potatoes when he sits back down.

"You are a _pig_," Lyra sniffs conceitedly from the opposite side of him. "With that kind of behavior, we might as well send you to the Ares cabin." She jerks her head towards the table full of dirty kids stuffing their faces full of food, shouting loudly and belching.

"Lyra, give it a rest," Jason snaps. "Being in Apollo cabin doesn't make you the best in the world."

"Tell that to the Aphrodite kids, and I'll take back my words," Lyra retorts, petting her lips gently with her napkin.

The sickeningly-sweet smelling table is covered with pink and blue and purple. They were the hottest girls and boys in New York, period, possibly even in the whole United States. Unfortunately, they were also the most stuck-up and arrogant.

Blaine leans over to Jason. "I think that the newcomer really is in Aphrodite."

Jason shrugs. "I thought so. We'll have to wait and see though. We can never be too sure until he's actually claimed. Let's just hope that he doesn't act like them."

A girl with curly black hair that ran down her back flounced up towards their table. "Hi Jason," she says sweetly, her long eyelashes fluttering against her cheekbones.

Jason turns beet red and drops his fork onto his plate with a clatter. "H-hi Gaelen," he stutters.

"How are you?" she asks delicately, tossing her hair back over her shoulder.

"F-fine," he says shakily, and Blaine is trying his very best not to laugh, so he just bows his head and eats quietly.

"Can you _please _manage to squeeze in another hour for me tonight?" Gaelen asks, twirling her hair between her fingers. "I mean, I just really don't get the hang of archery," she simpers, smiling at him. "I think I need a lot more practice."

_For a gay boy, I think she has a pretty nice smile,_ Blaine concedes.

"Of course!" Jason shouts too loudly, causing a few heads to turn his way. "I mean, of course," he adds softly. "Anything."

Gaelen smiles widely and waves goodbye at him. "I'll see you later."

She walks back to the Aphrodite table and it's all giggles in that area. Jason groans and bangs his head on the table.

"I was a total idiot," he says when he resurfaces. Blaine lays a hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't that bad," Blaine lies, patting his back. "I mean, at least you didn't choke on your food like last time."

"Don't remind me," Jason mumbles. For the rest of dinner, he keeps his head down and refuses to look anywhere else, _especially _the Aphrodite table.

* * *

Kurt's head hurts so badly that it makes him tear up a bit, and he blinks before looking around.

He's in some kind of hovel, with sticks for a roof and mud for a floor. He crinkles his nose and tries to move, except it feels like someone tied an elephant to his arm and he's unable to move any of his limbs.

He hears someone open the door, and Kurt panics, trying to move or do something. He quickly closes his eyes and tries to breathe evenly.

Someone is moving things around, and there's the sound of liquid being poured. There's a clinking of glasses, and Kurt feels the bed dip down a little.

As soon as he feels a hand touch him, Kurt screams and punches the person in the face.

"Holy fuck!" he shouts, and Kurt opens his eyes and sees a curly-haired boy sprawled on the floor, a shattered cup next to him and some drink all over the floor.

"What the hell was that for?" he shouts, and Kurt is confused.

"Why'd you touch me?" Kurt yells back. "Are you a rapist?"

The other boy raises an eyebrow. "Don't flatter yourself," he snaps, standing up and rubbing the side of his face, which is now sporting a big purple bruise.

"Y-you scared me," Kurt whispers sheepishly.

"Well, if you're well enough to punch, then you can stand up. Get up now," the boy says coldly.

"I'm staying here for as long as I want," Kurt says snobbishly, even though he would really rather die than stay in this hut a second longer.

The boy rolls his eyes. "You are so an Aphrodite kid."

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

And then the door slams shut.

* * *

Chiron leans over to examine the bandages. "Are they ready to be taken off? He looks like he's in good form."

Jason scratches his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Let's just try and see how it goes. There's no more blood as far as I can tell."

He reaches forward and gently pulls off the bandages, and Kurt whimpers.

When Jason removes every single wrap, the skin has healed, and it looks as smooth and pale as before.

Kurt smiles happily and strokes his skin. "There are no scars," he says wondrously.

"That's the power of the special bandages," Jason smiles. He rests a hand on Kurt's back, pushing him forward. "Come on, you need to drink this."

Jason tilts a glass towards Kurt's lips, and he drinks cautiously. The moment the liquid hits his tongue, it feels like liquid nirvana. He tastes his mother's homemade pumpkin pie and the smell of his favorite Dior perfume and oh my god why didn't people _live _off of this stuff?

"This is amazing," Kurt gasps when he finishes drinking.

Jason nods. "It's nectar."

"Like from the flower?"

Chiron laughs deeply and shakes his head. "No, not the flower nectar. This is…," Chiron looks at Jason, "this is nectar from the gods."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "I'm an atheist."

Jason fights a smile. "No, not like a religion. But real gods."

"They don't exist."

A rough wind rattles the windows outside, and Kurt jumps and shrieks, and the wind seems to shake the entire building before it stops.

"Don't say that," Jason warns. "You're going to piss them off."

"Dear lad, they are not the gods of the human race. They are the Olympian gods."

Kurt takes a shaky breath. "No."

"I'm afraid so."

"Is that… Is that why they chase me?"

Jason inhales sharply, and leans forward a bit. "What chases you?"

"Boys, and girls, and…monsters," Kurt whispers fearfully, looking around. "I see them. They don't do anything, but I see them. Sometimes they chase me."

"Girls and boys chase you?" Chiron asks curiously.

Kurt nodded. "They like me a lot. They come to me. But I don't really…"

Chiron smiles comfortingly. "It's okay. Let's take you to dinner. Hopefully we will see who your parent really is."

"My dad is Burt Hummel," Kurt says. "My mother… She died when I was young."

Jason's eyes have an excited look in them, and it kind of scares Kurt a little.

The two of them bring Kurt outside the Big House and Jason swings his arms over his neck, shuffling towards the dining pavilion.

Kurt spots the curly haired boy from before and they meet eyes briefly before Kurt looks away.

"We have a newcomer," a drawling voice says from the front, and Kurt sees a fat man who is in desperate need of a makeover. "His name is… What's his name?"

Chiron whispers in his ears, and the fat man nods. "Yeah, it's Kurt something, so yay, let's eat."

Kurt spots a table full of perfectly dressed kids, the scent of Marc Jacobs perfume and cologne wafting towards him, and he eagerly walks over before Jason pulls him back.

"Whoa, calm down now," Jason says. "You can't sit there."

"Why not?" Kurt demands, eying a Chanel coat jealously, which he knows would look absolutely _fabulous _on him.

"You haven't been claimed yet," Jason explains patient, trying to hold Kurt back. "You have to sit with the Hermes table before your mom claims you as your son." He points to a table full of rowdy kids, and a few are hanging off the edge of the seats because it's so crowded. Kurt shakes his head nervously.

"My mother is dead."

Jason shakes his head. "No, your real mother is a goddess."

"That makes no sense," Kurt says shakily. "You're lying."

"Unfortunately, I'm not lying. My dad is Apollo, god of the sun, music, prophecy, poetry, healing, and stuff like that."

"Your dad must be awesome," Kurt says, jealousy and longing evident in his tone.

"He's okay. He's pretty funny and all. What's up with your dad?"

"He's just…difficult," Kurt sighs, sitting down at the edge of the Hermes table. "I mean, he's…not too accepting."

"Of what?"

"Of my…sexuality," Kurt says, blushing. "He's not…He has a hard time accepting it."

Jason is inwardly jumping and screaming for joy, mostly for Blaine anyways.

"If I'm right, your mother and your cabin won't discriminate at all."

Kurt looks up, his big blue eyes scared. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Jason grins, and claps him on the shoulder. Kurt winces when Jason turns and walks away.

Kurt's eyes follow him and he watches as Jason sits down next to the curly haired boy. He's smiling and laughing, a stark contrast to the scowling boy that he encountered before.

"So, pretty boy, what's your name?" a boy says next to him, smiling lecherously.

Kurt stares at him with an affronted expression and turns away.

Throughout the entire dinner, Kurt doesn't eat anything. But people keep staring at him like he's some kind of shiny prize. And then they start to smile at him and make dirty jokes or dirty pickup lines and Kurt wants to hurt someone by the time it's all over.

Someone taps his shoulder and Kurt really doesn't want to turn around until he hears Jason say his name. He sees that he's brought the curly boy with him, who looks like he doesn't know want to be here.

"Hi Kurt! This is Blaine."

"We've met," Blaine says.

"He took care of you when you were still unconscious," Jason explains, unaware of the tension between those two. "He's absolute pants at healing, but he was nice enough to do so."

"Really?" Kurt asks, smiling without realizing it. Maybe he was pretty mean to him after all.

Blaine blushes and looks down. "Y-yeah, but it was a…a team effort.

"I'm Kurt," he says.

"Blaine."

They stand and smile hesitantly to each other, and Jason claps his hands together happily. "Okay, well we got to get back. Cabins can't intermingle during meals. We'll see you later!" Blaine waves while Jason pulls him back towards the Apollo table.

Kurt has to sleep on the ground that night, and it's killing his back. There aren't enough beds in the stupid Hermes cabin, so he has to make do with a sleeping bag.

He lies there awake, even when it is way past midnight and everyone is asleep. Kurt tries to recall everything he knows about Greek mythology. He's smart, he pays attention in class. This shouldn't be too hard.

He knows that Hermes is the god of traveling and messengers. That's why he has the winged sandals and stuff. The caduceus is the symbol for pharmacies and doctors.

Aphrodite… Those must have been the kids that he wanted to sit with tonight. She was the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality. _She must have a gorgeous closet_, Kurt thought.

Athena was the brainiac. Ares liked to punch people. Demeter made fruit.

Then Zeus and Hera were like, the leaders of all of them. They were boring to Kurt, personally. He didn't find the frontrunners interesting at all. It's always the people that do everything to make the leaders look good that he loved to know about.

Then Artemis and Apollo were twins. So that made Jason and Blaine kind of like…brothers, and Artemis's nephews. Now that he thought about it, everyone was kind of related in some way. And that was quite cool, kind of like an extended family. He could get used to that. It wasn't like he was used to much of a family anyways.

And then he begins to yawn, feeling the effects of staying up late starting to come to him now. He snuggles into his pillow, and tries his best to sleep, despite the immense pain that his back will go through in the morning.

* * *

A/N: so this is the first chapter of this story! I'm hoping to continue it, if people actually like what I've written so far.

Just as a reading guide, here's a list of recurring OC's that I will be using. I haven't mentioned all of them yet though:

**Jason**—head counselor for Apollo

**Eric**—Apollo camper

**Lyra**—Apollo camper

**Sarah**—head counselor for Athena

**Gaelen**—head counselor for Aphrodite


	2. Chapter 2

"Blaine, I just know that something's going to go wrong or—"

"It's going to be _fine_," Blaine assures Jason, rubbing his shoulders. "Okay, let's take deep breaths. Where are you guys going?"

"It's just…by the lake," Jason squeaks, messing with his hair.

"Good. It's very romantic, something that Aphrodite kids love. Have you gotten ready?"

"I'm too nervous to do anything!" Jason exclaims.

Blaine sighs and folds his arms. "You know that if I help you get ready, you're going to freak out because you think that I'll infect you with my gay."

"Bro, it's not that, it's just—"

"What are you wearing then?" Blaine asks snappishly.

Jason holds up one of his old t-shirts and Blaine slaps his forehead, groaning.

"That is not going to cut it with _the head counselor of Aphrodite cabin_," Blaine snarls.

"I'm not good with clothes," Jason moans, clutching Blaine's sleeve. "Please help me!"

Blaine glares, but tosses his head and wreaks havoc on Jason's closet as the boy watches in abject horror. Finally, he pulls out a white dress shirt and a pair of creased slacks, looking pleased with himself.

"They're a bit wrinkled, but I don't have time to get it fixed," Blaine explains as he sprays a bit of water on the shirt. "This will fix most of the creases."

When he's done, he grabs the blow dryer and uses it on the shirt until it's completely dry, doing the same with the pants.

He pulls Jason over and takes off his shirt, throwing it into the trash can. Jason is about to protest and probably fight for the life of his clothes when Blaine shoves the dress shirt over his head and tosses the slacks at him.

"Put those on," Blaine orders, rummaging around his own closet. "I have a tie that will really bring out your eyes."

"Who the hell cares about my—"

"Gaelen's going to care," Blaine declares forcefully. "Therefore, you have to care."

He finds an emerald green tie and puts it on Jason's chest. "It looks perfect on you. Just don't get it dirty or else I'll kill you."

"Thank you," Jason murmurs, and pulls Blaine into a tight hug.

"Bro, you're going to kill me," Blaine says weakly, and Jason releases him, beaming.

"Well, um, I'm gonna go now," he says fretfully, looping the tie around his neck and tying it properly.

"Go get her," Blaine says brightly, and Jason's parting smile is enough to release some of the worries in his chest.

* * *

"It's been a week!" Kurt screams at Chiron, who looks calm, and the fat man looks quite uninterested, shuffling his cards. "A whole goddamn week and I haven't been claimed! Why is that?"

"Young man, I am _this close_ to incinerating you if you do not shut you ungodly mouth this instant," the fat man says, glaring at him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Kurt shouts, feeling the anger bubbling up inside him. "You fucking fatass!'

"Kurt!" Chiron begs, but it's too late. The fat man stands up from his chair and takes a few steps towards Kurt.

"Now listen here, impertinent brat, and listen well," the fat man warns. "If you cross me one more time, I will definitely be turning you into a shark and then make shark fin soup and then toss your ungracious body into the ocean until you sink down to the ocean floor. Then, ocean creatures will eat the rest of your body up. Or I can just make you completely insane. You choose."

Kurt whimpers and takes a step back. "You're—"

"Oh, you're a smart one!" the fat man cries. "It took forever for that Phineas Johnson boy to get it right."

"His name is Percy Jackson," Chiron corrects wearily, "and Kurt does not know any better. If you use your powers, Zeus will surely have your head."

"What Father doesn't know won't hurt him," he mumbles.

"If you're Dionysus, why are you here in this stupid camp?"

Dionysus nods happily at Chiron. "See, even this camper thinks that this place is a waste of time! I'm not the only one!"

Chiron looks at him witheringly and turns to Kurt. "Young man, we have no control over when you are claimed. It is up to your parent entirely."

"Does my mom not _care_ about me?" he says, the volume of his voice escalating again.

Chiron sighs and beckons him to come closer. "My dear boy, sometimes… Well, even though the gods have promised Percy Jackson, sometimes the claiming is delayed."

"For how long?" Kurt whispers fearfully.

Chiron shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure. But everyone gets claimed. The gods have a lot of children, Kurt. It's going to be hard for them to claim everyone. It takes time. Be patient."

"I'm not—Do you know how many kids are in the Hermes cabin?" Kurt yells. "I barely have enough room to sleep, much less all of my clothes, my product, my skin care, or my makeup!"

"This is a doozy," Dionysus mutters. "It shouldn't really be hard to figure out which cabin this boy belongs in."

"Nevertheless, we can't just stick him into any cabin we wish," Chiron says. "Kurt, I'm sorry. I wish I could help you. I truly do." Kurt could tell that he honestly meant it by the look in his eyes. "But I can't do anything to speed up the process. When you're mother is ready, she'll claim you."

Kurt sighs and tries to control his temper. He gives a terse nod and walks out of the room, trying his best not to slam the door shut.

He fails miserably on that part, and he can hear Dionysus's death threats as he walks out of the Big House.

* * *

"I'm serious!" Jason laughs, his arms swinging as he and Gaelen walk down the grassy slope. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because no one rides a Pegasus when they're five and actually stays on the thing," Gaelen says with a roll of her eyes. "You're making it up."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I can prove it!"

"You're not even a son of Poseidon!" she laughs. "Why would horses like you?"

"Because I'm awesome?" he offers, and she just punches him playfully.

Jason spreads out the blanket so that their clothes don't get dirty, and Gaelen sits demurely with her legs folded while Jason takes out the food from the basket.

Gaelen is wearing a baby blue dress and her hair is pulled back but not tied up, so her curly tresses flow freely. Jason secretly thinks that she's never been more beautiful in her entire life than right now, with the soft glow of the night illuminating her face and making her skin glow.

"Mademoiselle," he says with an extremely bad French accent, and Gaelen just laughs.

"French is overrated," she smirks. "German is much hotter."

Jason gulps. "Uh, really?"

Gaelen smiles dreamily. "Oh yes, I mean, how can anyone resist all those gurgling and intelligible noises?"

Jason breathes a sigh of relief and Gaelen giggles. "You need to relax more."

"You scared me!"

Gaelen sighs. "I would rather you be someone who doesn't change at all, no matter what any girl likes or wants."

Jason doesn't know what to say, so all he does is unwrap a Panini and munch on it.

* * *

Blaine is strumming his guitar lightly on the pavilion. It's mostly empty, and only a few campers are outside. It's about eleven, judging by the position of the moon, and Blaine knows that he can sing and play in peace and no one will bother him.

"Hi."

Blaine jumps and sees Kurt next to him, smiling shyly. "What are you playing?" Kurt asks, sitting down beside him.

Blaine gulps and grins nervously. "Um, nothing really. Just a bunch of random chords. Sometimes a really good progression comes to me, but right now…"

Kurt nods and motions to the guitar. "Can you play something for me?"

Blaine blinks and looks down, his cheeks turning pink. "Um, do you have anything you want me to play?"

"Do you know any Broadway tunes?" Kurt asks eagerly.

Blaine laughs. "I'm pretty sure they don't sound good on guitar, and at any rate, I don't know any. Sorry."

Kurt sighs and leans back. "Play anything then, but play something pretty."

Blaine digs through his mind, searching for a nice song that would be good enough to play for Kurt. He mostly knows a lot of mainstream music, or alternative rock. But he remembers one of his favorite songs.

He starts playing the beginning of it, and it's a soft gentle riff, and Kurt perks up.

_When the world gets too heavy put in on my back_

_I'll be your levy_

_You are taking me apart_

_Like bad glue on a get well card_

_It was always you falling for me_

_Now there's always time calling for me_

_I am the light blinking at the end of the road_

_Blink back to let me know_

Kurt is smiling and he looks like an angel in the moonlight, and he's swaying gently and Blaine keeps singing for Kurt.

_I'm a fly that's trapped in a web_

_But I'm thinking that my spider's dead_

_Oh, lonely little life_

_I could kid myself in thinking that I'm fine_

_It was always you falling for me_

_Now there's always time calling for me_

_I am the light blinking at the end of the road_

_Blink back to let me know_

Kurt is picking up on the melody know, and even though he doesn't really know the words, he sings it like it's the best song in the world.

Blaine doesn't even have to look at his fingers; he just looks straight at Kurt the whole time. He really was right. His eyes were so blue, like the ocean. He felt like he was drowning just looking into them.

_Oh I'm skin and bones_

_Just a cane and a rusty throne_

_Oh the castle's under siege_

_But the sign outside says "leave me alone"_

_It was always you falling for me_

_Now there's always time calling for me_

_I am the light blinking at the end of the road_

_Blink back to let me know_

Kurt looks at himself, and he really is just skin and bones. But the words that Blaine is singing… It makes him feel good, like he's just had a cup of Godiva hot chocolate.

Blaine plays the few final notes of the riff and lets the last one echo, the sound reverberating around them as Blaine looks up at Kurt.

"Was that… Did you like it?" he asks hesitantly.

Kurt gives him a big smile. "It was beautiful. You play beautifully."

Blaine blushes and sets his guitar down. "Thanks. So have you been claimed yet?"

Kurt's eyes go dark. "I haven't yet. But Chiron… He said that it should only be a couple of days more. When did you get claimed?"

Blaine rubs his hands together, making them warm. "I think it was about a week after I came here. The Apollo kids were holding a concert. It looked really fun, and I love to sing and stuff, so I asked if I could join in. They welcome anyone of course, but only the Apollo cabin can _really_ sing. So while I was performing, everyone kept staring above my head. So I looked up, and I saw a glowing lyre on top of my head. That was the day I was claimed."

"It sounds perfect," Kurt sighs. "What do I have to do to get noticed by my mom?"

"I'm sure it's just a delay," Blaine assures him. "Don't worry. You'll be claimed soon."

Kurt nods sadly, and Blaine gets up, extending a hand. "Come on," he says. "I'll walk you back to Hermes."

Kurt blinks and takes his hand cautiously, and when their hands touch, it sends a spark throughout Blaine's body, running from his fingertips down to his toes and through his head.

Blaine ignores the spark as he holds Kurt's hand and they laugh and talk all the way down towards the cabins.

* * *

"That one there is Andromeda," Gaelen whispers, pointing at a group of stars.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" Jason asks in awe. "I can barely tell them apart, much less remember all of the constellations."

"I've always had a thing for astronomy," she whispers. "It's not very Aphrodite-like, but I love it. I have these books full of stuff like that. I read it when no one's looking."

Jason can barely believe his luck.

_She's beautiful, she's nice, and she makes me feel like I'm on top of the world just by _smiling _at me. And now she's a total smartass too? I've hit the jackpot._

"Well what's that one?" Jason asks, pointing to any random star.

"Oh, that one is Jason," Gaelen says, sounding amused.

"Really?" Jason exclaims.

Gaelen is giggling, and Jason pouts. "You tricked me."

"There's no constellation named Jason," she says with a smile. "I just wanted to see your reaction. But there's the hero Jason, you know, if that makes you feel a bit better."

"I would rather have my own constellation," he says, and she just smiles.

"Maybe someday you will," Gaelen says, and they stargaze for just a while longer.

* * *

"Goodnight," Blaine says when Kurt walks towards the Hermes cabin.

"Do you want to come in?" Kurt offers, then blushes. "I mean, there's not much to see, but you know, it was just—"

"I'll come in," Blaine says quickly.

Kurt pushes the door open and the cabin is so crowded that it's ridiculous. Most people are asleep already. Blaine tries not to step on anyone as he walks towards where Kurt sleeps.

Kurt gestures to the floor unhappily. "That's my place," he says bitterly.

Blaine pats his reassuringly. "You'll get your own place soon. You just have to…go with the flow. Just act like your normal self, do what you normally do, and you'll be claimed. Don't try to fit in with anyone. Be yourself and you'll get noticed."

Blaine walks out of the door. "I have to go," he says, tiptoeing through people sleeping on the ground. "I have to do rounds for Jason, since he's on a date. I'll see you tomorrow!"

When Blaine shuts the door, it's like he's taken the sun with him, too.

"This was great," Gaelen says, nibbling on her blueberry pastry. "I had so much fun."

"I'm glad," Jason stutters, and they walk up to Aphrodite cabin. Her cabin mates are so obvious. He can see them peeking through the windows.

"Can we…maybe do this again sometime?" Gaelen asks, her eyelashes fluttering again.

Jason nods, and it feels like something is stuck in his throat. "I'd love to."

Gaelen smiles, tilts her head to the side, and leans forward a bit. "Can I?" she asks breathily, and Jason nods so quickly that whiplash is a real danger.

Jason leans forward too, and their lips meet gently, and it feels amazing, Jason can't believe this is happening, but all he has to do is listen to the sound of her cabin mates shrieking and giggling like crazy…

They break apart and Gaelen looks at him with her wide brown eyes. "Thank you," she whispers, and pushes the door open, smiling at him even as it closes.

Jason can't move for a while, so he just stands their dumbstruck, touching his lips every few seconds as if to reassure himself that it really happened.

* * *

**A/N: so like, I'm really loving the Jason/Gaelen pairing…I don't know, I just think it's quite adorable :D Sorry if I get too wrapped up in my OC's! D:**

**So the song that Blaine sang to Kurt is called "Always" by Panic! At The Disco. It's off their newest album and I encourage you guys to check it out because it's a beautiful song.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Bye Kurt," Blaine says as he walks over to the Apollo table for breakfast. Kurt waves shyly and sits down, looking very small and very alone.

"I feel kind of sorry for him," Blaine tells Jason as he pours syrup onto his pancakes. "I mean, it's been two weeks since he got here. He's almost at his breaking point about the claiming thing, and I'm not sure how I can help him. He hates Hermes cabin so much. I'm pretty sure he would hate it even more if it wasn't for the fact that Hermes is a couture name."

Jason scratches his head. "Well, what does he like to do? What are his hobbies?"

Blaine groans. "He worships Vogue and Bazaar and all those fashion magazines. He likes accessorizing and buying clothes. He loves to sing and he has a demanding nighttime skincare regime."

Jason rolls his eyes and says wryly, "I wonder which cabin he belongs in."

Blaine stuffs his mouth with hash browns. "But my point is that even though he's the _epitome_ of an Aphrodite boy, we can't just throw him in there and be done with it."

"Well, just have him do what you did," Jason supplies.

"You want Kurt to sing?"

"No. I meant have him showcase his talent, his passion. That's the best way to get your godly parent to notice you," Jason explains, drinking his juice.

"Well, unless we can magically get permission from Ares cabin to hold another concert after last year's fiasco, I don't see how that will happen," grumbles Blaine.

Ares, unfortunately, was the current holder of the amphitheater. The camp always holds some kind of stupid contest to see who would win control of the amphitheater for the summer, along with all of the other buildings in camp. Ares never let anyone else use the building when they gained control of it.

When Apollo cabin had held one of their amazing concerts last year, a camper thought that it would be absolutely hilarious to bring in an intoxicated centaur and let him run around the amphitheater and then through the camp. He ended up ruining several cabins and making Chiron so mad that Blaine was pretty sure that the Underworld could feel his anger. Ares had refused the Apollo cabin many times the chance to hold another concert, something that Blaine was pretty sure Chiron secretly loved.

Jason smirks. "I have _ways_."

"Bro, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"I keep telling you that I have—"

"KEEP IT TO YOURSELF," Blaine roars.

* * *

"So, I need your help," Jason says.

Gaelen raises her eyebrow. "I thought men were supposed to be all about pride," she says.

"Well, yeah, but—"

"I won't even _begin _to get into how incredibly sexist that is," Gaelen mutters and crosses her arms.

Jason makes an exasperated noise. "I really need your help here."

"What could you possibly need from _Aphrodite_? We're not exactly the strongest cabin around," Gaelen snaps, obviously still smarting from the manly pride thing.

"I need the most gorgeous girl you've got, besides you of course," Jason adds hastily when Gaelen narrows her eyes, "and I need her to use her powers to get Aaron to let us use the amps for another concert."

Aaron was the counselor for Ares. He was disgusting, big and broad, with an IQ of probably about 80. He picked fights for no reason and put his father's name on a pedestal for the entire camp to see.

Gaelen taps her chin, her brown eyes calculating. "I could…well, what type of girl does Aaron like? All the Aphrodite kids are gorgeous, but they appeal to different types of people."

"All I know is that he's into certain body parts more than necessary," Jason sighs. "And he likes brunettes."

Gaelen smirks. "So you need a girl with a big chest and brown hair? That's at least five Aphrodite girls, including myself."

Jason stammers and turns bright red. "No, absolutely not! Y-you're staying away from Aaron!"

She laughs and kisses his cheek. "You look _so cute_ when you get flustered. At any rate, I know a girl who's absolutely perfect for the job. You can meet her today after our archery class."

"You take archery?"

"Just because I have to take that class doesn't mean I'm good at it. We're not all Apollo-level shooters."

"Well, guys _are _better than girls at sports—"

"_Get your sexist ass out of my cabin!_"

* * *

"I'm so sore," Blaine moans.

It's the middle of the afternoon, the hottest time of the day, and the entire Apollo cabin is in their sword-fighting class. Blaine was just up against Eric, who is pretty damn good with a blade. He smirks when he sees Lyra drop the sword every time Jason so much as moves towards her.

Eric however, was definitely not afraid to push Blaine. They both knew each other's capabilities, and this left Blaine drenched with sweat and covered with marks all over his chest.

Blaine took off his shirt and threw it off to the side, dumping water on top of his head.

Jason laughs. "Well, don't pair up with Eric next time if you want to live."

"He's the only one who's even remotely _fun _to duel," Blaine groans, sitting down next to Jason on the grassy slope. "You always have to help the sucky kids because you're the stupid _counselor_."

"What?" Jason mocks, putting his hand next to his ear. "Is that– why Blaine, is that _jealousy_ I hear in your little hobbit voice?"

Blaine kicks Jason, and they both laugh. "By the way, I've enlisted help," Jason says, gulping down some water. "We should be able to get the amphitheater by tonight. And then you can ask Kurt if he wants to perform."

"I've been thinking about that," Blaine says. "And well, isn't music like, an Apollo skill? I mean, don't get me wrong, he _loves _to sing, and he's damn good at it too. But he's a lot more into fashion and stuff like that, and I don't think the camp would be really willing to attend a fashion show put on by the Aphrodite kids."

"Well, have him dress up for it," Jason proposes, setting his water bottle aside. "If he wants to do the concert, ask him to go all out with the costumes. Have him design his own outfit. That's very Aphrodite-like, you know."

"I just hope this all turns out okay," Blaine says.

* * *

"Here she is," Gaelen announces, pulling forward a girl with light brown hair and, well, a rather large appendage. She's wearing a little more than nothing, and Jason tries his best not to stare, as Gaelen would hit him again.

Jason grins and hugs Gaelen. "Thank you so much for doing this. And thank you, too," he adds to the girl.

She smiles sweetly. "Gaelen, would you like me to do a test run?"

Gaelen thinks about it for a moment, and nods. "Go ahead. He wouldn't be expecting it anyway, which gives it a bigger boost."

Jason looks at both of them. "Wait, what–"

The girl closes her eyes and a pink glow starts to emit from her skin. When she opens her eyes again, they're fixed straight at Jason.

He gasps and images run through his mind, the dirty ones that he usually pushes to the back of his brain. But hey, he's a seventeen-year-old teenage boy.

The girl sways forward, her hips moving, her lips red and plump, and her eyes half-closed. "Jason," she whispers, tugging on his jacket.

"Guh," is all he can say.

"I think that does the trick," the girl says happily, and when the pink glow goes away, Jason stops gaping.

Gaelen sighs. "Boys will be boys. Camilla, go work your magic. Aaron never goes to his Ancient Greek class. He's all yours for the hour."

Camilla gives Jason and Gaelen a wink and saunters over to the Ares cabin. Jason takes a deep breath.

"The things I do for Blaine."

* * *

Blaine has offered to teach Kurt to read and write Greek and Greek mythology, since most of the campers are already paired up with the new kids. So every day at three o' clock, Kurt visits Apollo cabin and they study together for the hour. Kurt is surprisingly good at reading Ancient Greek. Blaine's surprised at how smart he is despite his dyslexia and ADHD.

"I think that's all I can do for today," Kurt says faintly as he closes the book. "My head's starting to hurt."

Blaine doesn't blame him. It's only his second week at camp, and he's already read through five books written in Greek.

"Let's take a break then," Blaine offers. He pulls Kurt up from the bed and they walk out of the cabin slowly, down the swell of the hill and towards the lake.

They sit down, to the side of the water, and Kurt holds a twig in his hand, swirling the water around. The sun is sparkling on the water, the light reflecting on Kurt's face. Blaine's lying down on his back, his eyes closed and taking deep, soothing breathes.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" Blaine pipes up excitedly, sitting up. "Jason's getting permission to hold another concert. Do you want to be a part of it?"

Kurt looks at him. "A concert?"

Blaine nods and smiles. "I think that it would be really good for you to try and explore what you're good at. It could help with the claiming thing. I know that music is kind of an Apollo thing, but you're _great _at singing. And you can make your own outfit and everything! It's really fun. I think that you'll really love it."

Kurt smiles happily, and Blaine is pretty sure that this is the first genuine smile Kurt has shown him since he got here. "I'd love that," Kurt says, and he gives Blaine a quick hug.

Kurt isn't exactly the same afterwards. He's always humming something, gives Blaine big random smiles for no reason whatsoever, and when they walk back up to the cabins, Kurt's almost skipping. Blaine smiles to himself, glad that he's made Kurt so much happier.

For the rest of the day, things go along perfectly. Jason returns that night to tell the entire cabin that they're holding another camp-wide concert in three days, and asks all of the Apollo kids to spread the news and prepare songs and the stage.

Immediately upon hearing the news, Blaine runs to tell Kurt, who squeals and starts ranting about designers and fabrics, and Blaine just smiles even though he doesn't understand a single word. But who cares? He'd do anything to get Kurt to smile so brightly again.

But being a camper for three years now, Blaine should have known that nothing really goes according to plan at camp.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than normal (3 pages shorter actually) and I'm really sorry about that.**

**And the reviews! I'm so glad that so many people love this story so much. It's really flattering, actually :D**

**Coming up next: the big concert!**


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine is pretty sure that he is going to die.

Jason is shouting, and while it makes him feel a bit better, but in all honesty, it's doing absolutely nothing for his nerves.

"Guys, this should have been set up _yesterday_!" Jason yells, causing a first-year camper to drop a box of decorations in fright and scramble off again.

The amphitheater is completely bare and undecorated. A group of Apollo campers had set up a sound system, the stage, the microphones, and even had the Hephaestus cabin help with the lighting. They had put up decorations and everything, but when they came down this morning, the amphitheater was empty.

Blaine is pretty sure that it's a stupid little rat with a capital A, but he doesn't want to aggravate Jason more, because he's pretty sure that people aren't meant to turn that certain shade of purple without imminent explosions happening. But Rachel, who is absolutely doing nothing to help, us currently belting out the most recent annoying ballad that she wants to sing.

Blaine wants to push her off a cliff. Maybe the fishes will enjoy her warbling there.

He feels kind of bad because Jason is turning blue now and the Apollo kids look like they are about to faint from last-minute preparations. Blaine feels pretty responsible, seeing as this was all his idea. He just hopes that Kurt is going to get claimed today or all of this trouble will have been for nothing.

This morning, he'd visited Hermes cabin to see that all thirty-five of them were standing outside, looking sleepy and disgruntled. He asked Gavin, the counselor for Hermes, where Kurt was and why they weren't in their cabin. He had said that Kurt kicked all of them out at six o' clock in the morning without any warning. Gavin looked downright murderous, and Blaine was trying not laugh.

He had knocked on the door, telling Kurt that it was him and asked if he could come in. All he heard on the other end of the door was frantic noises and pacing. Kurt was undoubtedly freaking out about what to wear.

And this leaves him right here, standing in a half-decorated and half-set up amphitheater, with Jason nearly screaming himself hoarse.

Someone (bless whoever this is) calls Athena cabin for back up, and the process goes along fast. The Aphrodite cabin invites themselves and offer their own…"constructive criticism".

In other words, they all whine and moan about the lack of pink and purple and lace and frills.

However, the moment Gaelen shows up, Jason drops everything he's doing to go sit down and talk to her. They're almost nauseating, especially the way Jason absolutely fawns over her. They keep giggling and smiling and it's obviously Blaine's turn to yell.

Everything gets done before the admission time, and Blaine is relieved as campers start to pour into the amphitheater, eagerly awaiting another concert, or maybe just another repeat of last year's mishap.

He's banking on the first, and ignores the cameras that are whipped out as soon as the lights begin to dim.

* * *

The night goes pretty smoothly. There are no drunken centaurs, which is something that Blaine is secretly cheering for, and everyone does a brilliant job on their number. Three Aphrodite girls, Quinn, Santana, and Brittney had sung "Buttons" by The Pussycat Dolls, something that all of the guys seem to really enjoy.

An hour later, Blaine has already performed his song (which is Teenage Dream, for your information), and he still doesn't see Kurt anywhere. It's starting to worry him so badly that he doesn't even notice Rachel getting up on stage and singing her song.

He finally turns his attention onto the stage, and Rachel sings the last note of her song and the guitar finishes its last chord. Everyone gives her a long applause and she bows incessantly. It makes her look like her spine doesn't go all the way up.

No matter how annoying Rachel can get and no matter how much _every single_ Apollo member wants to throw her into the lava on the climbing wall, she has a very good voice. It took a while for Blaine to admit that though.

Jason is the MC for the night, and he's dressed up in a suit that looks great on him. After Rachel takes her millionth bow, he walks up to the stage and gently guides her back down.

"Thank you Rachel for that wonderful performance," he says. "Next, we have a newcomer at the camp, and a first-time singer at this concert. Please welcome Kurt Hummel!"

There's a moderate applause, and Blaine claps the loudest. He honestly doesn't blame them though. No one really knows who Kurt is, or what his singing and performing abilities are. Blaine settles back down in his seat and waits for Kurt to appear.

A deep pulsing electronic beat comes up on the stereo, and it makes Blaine jump with surprise.

Kurt walks up to the stage, dressed in…oh dear lord, were those _spandex tights_? And they were silvery and fit so tightly _everywhere, _leaving nothing to imagination. His hair is coiffed and every time he turns his head, the glitter in his hair catches the light. His top is sleeveless and looks something like white leather and it outlines his chest perfectly, showing off the muscles that Blaine didn't even know he had.

He lifts the microphone up to his lips and sings:

_Don't be scared_

_I've done this before_

_Show me your teeth_

_Don't want no money (want your money)_

_That shit's is ugly_

_Just want your sex (want your sex)_

_Take a bit of my bad girl meat (bad girl meat)_

_Take a bite_

_Show me your teeth_

_Let me see your mean_

Kurt's practically having _sex with the air. _His hips are gyrating and he's dropping on his legs and doing those wiggling things that are making Blaine think extremely inappropriate thoughts. One glance at the audience and Blaine can tell that he's not the only one.

But despite all of that, Blaine can't believe how amazing his voice is. It's strong and gritty and sexy and it's so amazing. He can't help but feel hypnotized, by Kurt's performance and his voice both.

_Got no direction (no direction)_

_I need direction_

_Just got my vamp (got my vamp)_

_Take a bite of my bad girl meat (bad girl meat)_

_Take a bit of me boy_

_Show me your teeth_

_The truth is sexy_

And now Kurt's giving the entire audience a seductive smile as he grounds his hips to the beat of the song. Blaine wonders if one can die from being too turned on.

At this point, it's a very good possibility, and with the dance moves that Kurt's shaking out at the moment, he's not going to rule out that chance.

_Tell me something that'll save me_

_I need a man who makes me alright_

_Just tell me when it's alright_

_Tell me something that'll change me_

_I'm gonna love you with my hands tied_

_Show me your teeth_

_Just tell me when_

_Show me your teeth_

_Open your mouth boy_

_Show me your teeth_

_Show me watcha got_

_Show me your teeth teeth teeth teeth_

Now the lyrics are giving him mental images and it's…not good. Blaine has to fold his knees up and tuck them underneath his chin and he sees quite a few guys in the audience do so too. He feels a surge of protectiveness rise up inside of him.

_Got no salvation (no salvation)_

_Got no salvation_

_Got nor religion (no religion)_

_My religion is you_

_Take a bite of my bad girl meat (bad girl meat)_

_Take a bit of me boy_

_Show me your teeth_

_I'm a tough bitch_

_Got my addictions (my addictions)_

_And I love to fix 'em (and I love to fix 'em)_

_No one's perfect_

_Take a bite of my bad girl meat (bad girl meat)_

_Take a bit of me boy_

_Show me your teeth_

_I just need a little guidance_

Kurt swings the microphone around and begins to emulate the same dance moves that Lady Gaga always does to this song. Blaine personally thinks that it looks a hundred times hotter on Kurt, with the lithe pale body and those _hips. _He didn't even notice Kurt's ass before, but now it's all that he can stare at.

_Tell me something that'll save me_

_I need a man who makes me alright (man who makes me alright)_

_Just tell me when it's alright_

_Tell me something that'll change me_

_I'm gonna love you with my hand tied_

_Show me your teeth_

_Open your mouth boy_

_Show me your teeth_

_My religion is you_

_Show me your teeth_

_I just need a little guidance_

_Show me your teeth_

He finishes with flair, flicking his head in a circle and pushing his hips a bit forward, with the microphone in his left hand. There's a bit of a silence for about three seconds, before the entire crowd screams with applause.

Kurt is flushed and his lips are pink and it's not helping Blaine's current…issue. He applauds with the rest of the crowd, and smiles fondly when Kurt blushes and takes a little bow. Jason walks up to the stage, saying something to Kurt and giving him an encouraging smile. Kurt hands him the microphone and is about to walk off the stage.

"Well, I think we all enjoyed Kurt's performance very much, so why don't we give him another round of applause?" Jason shouts.

He tugs Kurt back into the spotlight and Kurt's laughing, and Blaine thinks that he seems to grow even more gorgeous by the second.

The spotlight moves away and everyone grows silent. Kurt giggles nervously and says into the microphone, "What is it?"

Jason smiles at him and jerks his head upwards. A flock of doves are flying over Kurt at a distance, carrying something in their little claws. After flying for a few more minutes, they drop a white cloth and it gently falls on Kurt's head.

From the moment it touches his hair, it seems to dissolve, and the entire audience gasps.

As the cloth slowly melt, it reveals Kurt again, this time, his skin glowing, his hair soft and brown, and a delicate blush on his pale skin. He's wearing a pair of skin-tight jeans that fit him just as well as the spandex tights and a Prada coat and a pair of sexy Doc Martens.

In other words, he looks like a runaway model sex god.

Jason smiles and speaks into the mike. "Kurt Hummel, son of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love."

The crowd is transfixed. All of the girls are drooling, and Blaine sees that a few of the guys are too. Kurt looks at himself, his mouth a little open and his eyes wide. He seems to have lost the ability to speak. After a while, he says "thank you Mother" very softly into the microphone and the audience claps again.

The Aphrodite cabin swarms onto the stage, enveloping Kurt in hugs and laughter. Blaine can't see Kurt anymore among the crowd, but he knows that Kurt's probably close to crying from happiness.

He can now happily say to himself that this concert was an _utter _success.

* * *

**Kind of a long A/N:**

First off, I hope that this chapter was to your liking! I debated on how to do it, and I even wanted to prolong the claiming, but I thought that it was time for Kurt to go where he really belonged.

_**I AM LOOKING FOR A BETA FOR THIS STORY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE.**_

Just as a note: I'm not going to put in any characters from the original series. Percy Jackson was mentioned extremely briefly, but the thing is that I would like this to be as AU as possible (and I don't want to run into an infringement troubles) which is why I'm making so many OC's.

Also, the updated list of characters! Not everything is filled in though. And I probably won't be using too many of these characters. They're just kind of a reference guide if I do happen to mention them at any point in the story.

**Counselors:**

Aphrodite—Gaelen

Apollo—Jason (this means Healer, which is a _**BIG **_coincidence)

Ares—Aaron

Athena—Sarah

Demeter—Avani (means Earth in Hindu)

Dionysus—?

Hephaestus— Altan

Hermes—Gavin

Poseidon—?

Zeus, Hera—none (?)

**ND:**

Puck—Ares

Quinn—Aphrodite

Rachel—Apollo

Finn—?

Tina—?

Mike—?

Brittney—Aphrodite

Santana—Aphrodite

Artie—Athena

Mercedes—?

Sam—?

_For all of the question marks for the ND list, if you guys can think of any cabins for me, I would appreciate it very much if you could put it in the comments!_


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt is convinced that he's in heaven.

Apparently heaven has Hermés bags.

The Aphrodite cabin is better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. It's gorgeous and airy, neat and full of mirrors and makeup. Every single thing is color-coded and he is pretty damn sure he's in paradise.

"Welcome to the Aphrodite cabin," Gaelen says with a smirk. "You'll love it here."

"Oh I'm sure I will," Kurt says dazedly, and sets the few things he owns onto _his very own bed, _complete with Egyptian cotton one-thousand thread count sheets. There's no doubt he's going to sleep _very well _tonight.

There are shelves built into the frame of his bed and underneath are sliding drawers for his shoes and stuff. "This is amazing," Kurt whispers.

The boys in this cabin are just are gorgeous as the girls, and Kurt gives them all shy smiles. They grin back, and Kurt is swooning over their ability to accessorize and their knowledge of hair care products and skin care. He has some _fine _brothers.

Gaelen pats his back. "We're all family here," she says warmly, "and we're all sisters and brothers. The Aphrodite cabin may seem weak, but we're the closest family in this entire camp."

Kurt smiles back and all of them run up to him and give him a big group hug. He can't help but laugh.

He is definitely going to love it here.

* * *

Blaine's waiting for Kurt in their usual spot for Ancient Greek lessons, and it's half an hour past their usual time. He's sitting in the shade of the willow tree, the lesson book unopened.

Jason walks out from Apollo cabin and sees Blaine sitting there, looking down at the grass. He sighs and goes over to pat him on the shoulder. "Come on bro, you can't wait here anymore. Let's go to archery class."

"No, I have to wait for Kurt," Blaine says urgently, and refuses to move.

Jason sighs and sits down next to him. "Blaine, it's obvious that he's not coming."

"But why would he…we have a schedule," he whispers sadly. Blaine's defeated expression is enough for Jason to give him a big hug.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Jason offers. "I'm sure he's just busy. Or maybe the Aphrodite kids are making him do some kind of weird ritual."

"I hate that cabin," Blaine growls.

Jason frowns. "Excuse me, my girlfriend is in there."

"It doesn't make it any less horrible."

* * *

"No. Way," Kurt gasps.

"_Yes_ way," he nods.

"But this hasn't even…it's not due to come out until next _year_," Kurt whispers reverently, stroking the silk.

Nick laughs and hands the silk coat to Kurt. "That's a perk to having your mother basically control the fashion industry. You can have this one. I have an extra in case something ever happened to it."

"I can't…" Kurt gulps and takes the jacket. "I owe you a million."

Nick smiles. "You'll get a lot more at the rate you're going. Are you enjoying Mother's blessing?"

"I fucking _love it_," Kurt replied.

Ever since his claiming, he's looked absolutely perfect. Every morning, his hair was coiffed and combed, his closet was magically filled with the most _amazing _clothesand he didn't even have to moisturize anymore. His skin naturally glowed, and he didn't have to put on any kind of makeup to look fabulous.

Laughing, Nick throws him a pair of Prada leather boots. "Here are the ones from the winter collection," he says over his shoulder, digging through the pile of boxes. "It hasn't come out yet, naturally, but you can have it. I know how much you love clothes. We all do."

Kurt just stares. "You are the best brother in the entire world."

Nick laughs and pretends to toss back his hair. "I know."

* * *

A few days pass, and Blaine still hasn't even seen Kurt yet. The only time when they even made eye contact was during chores, and that only lasted for about two seconds before Kurt was whisked off by his stupid siblings.

Blaine is getting paranoid that Kurt secretly hates him, or that Kurt doesn't want anything to do with him. This paranoia only grows each day without seeing Kurt.

It's breakfast time, and Blaine sits next to Jason, pouring out his heart and soul and also glaring at his plate of pancakes. Eric sits on the opposite side of the table, unsure of whether to laugh or be worried. Rachel is sitting by herself, tossing her hair back every few seconds.

"I'm pretty sure that if I went up to him and asked him what my name is, he wouldn't even know," Blaine growls, stabbing his food with a lot of unnecessary force.

Jason smiles halfheartedly. "Um…well I could ask Gaelen to talk to him, if you want. I'm sure that Gaelen could get to Kurt. She's the counselor and everything."

"Don't bother, he doesn't even want anything to do with me anymore," Blaine mumbles, moving on to decimating the potato salad.

"Why are you so hung up on Kurt?" Lyra sneers, pushing her plate aside and staring at him. "Do you have some kind of big gay crush on him?"

"Lyra, shut _up_," Eric snarls, slamming his cup down _hard _against the table. "Do you have a fucking _problem_ with Blaine being gay?"

Lyra pales. They have a very specific rule at camp: no discrimination at all. If you were reported for being racist or homophobic or anything like that, Mr. D set up special punishments for you, which usually involved shoveling out horse poop and things like that, the disgusting and filthy jobs no one wanted to do.

"No, of course not," she whispers.

Blaine gives Eric a grateful smile, and he returns it.

A girl with long blonde hair and bright green eyes taps Blaine on the shoulder. He recognizes her as Jasmine, from Aphrodite cabin. He wants to tell her to fuck off, but she just smiles before he can do anything. "This is for you," she says sweetly, handing him an envelope, and she flounces away.

Blaine is very close to tearing it up when he sees the words "From: Kurt, To: Blaine" on the back side.

Jason looks at Blaine's expression. "Okay, let's go."

He manages to drag Blaine away before the cussing begins.

* * *

When everyone is at their classes, Blaine ditches and goes back to Apollo cabin. The letter in his pocket is feeling heavier with each passing minute, and his curiosity gets the better of him. When he's sure that no one else is inside the cabin, Blaine shakily opens the envelope and takes out the letter, smoothing out the creases with his hand.

_Dear Blaine,_

_ I'm so sorry that I haven't been talking to you. I've been really busy in the past few days, but the Aphrodite cabin is just the best thing that's ever happened to me. I never got to thank you for holding that concert for me, because I wouldn't have gotten claimed if you didn't. I owe you so much. It's all thanks to you._

_ I feel like I really belong there. Everyone's so nice and they know so much about fashion! I never knew that having so many siblings could be a benefit rather than a burden._

_ I have a whole new schedule since I'm claimed now, which means that I have to do things with Aphrodite cabin now. Someone else in my cabin is assigned to teach me Ancient Greek. I'm so sorry that I didn't get the chance to tell you. I hope you're not mad at me for it._

_ I don't know if stupid Jasmine will even send this to the right table, because her brain is probably the size of an ant. But if you get this, please meet me at the edge of the South Woods after dinner tomorrow. I really want to talk to you again. I miss that._

_ Love,_

_ Kurt Hummel_

Blaine didn't know whether to toss it into the fire out of pent-up bitterness or press a million kisses again the signature and frame the entire letter.

"Love", Kurt had written.

Love.

* * *

Rachel does not like competition at all.

She's never been a very sharing-is-caring type of person, and this Kurt Hummel boy is making it worse. Ever since his song last week at the concert, no one else even notices her anymore. All they talk about is how hot he was, how great he looked in those tights, or how amazing his voice is. It's like she doesn't even exists.

Blaine is the only person in the entire _camp_ who is even in her league singing-wise. But the only reason Blaine currently has the upper hand is because of his stupid instruments. He can play like a million different kinds of instruments, and all Rachel can do is play a few songs on the piano.

And with Blaine's two-month trip to the Vienna Institute of Music during the school year, he's come back sharper than ever. It's driving Rachel absolutely insane.

She's not stupid, no matter what some people might think. Rachel notices things, and she definitely notices the way that Blaine looks at Kurt. It's so obvious that they like each other, except that Kurt is a lot more subtle about it. Blaine's too open about his feelings, which has caused the little curly-haired hobbit quite a lot of heartache. Exhibit A: the Jeremiah fiasco.

Right now, Blaine is delicate, fragile. Obviously, Blaine thinks that Kurt's "the one" or something as ridiculously saccharine. After a string of failed romances, Rachel expects Blaine to know better. After all, they _are _half-siblings.

Rachel can use this golden opportunity to crush Blaine. She's still smarting from his winning the sing-off last year. Before that, she hadn't lost a competition in five years.

So unless she gets rid of Blaine, he's going to become the best singer and performer in the entire camp. And that can't happen as long as Rachel Berry is still at Camp Half-Blood.

All she has to do is get to Kurt. With Kurt, she can easily get to Blaine.

* * *

"So, what's this for?" Kurt sits down as someone closes the door of the cabin.

"We have a certain process that all Aphrodite kids have to go through," Gaelen says.

Kurt smiles eagerly and bounces in his seat. "So what is it? Do I get to design my own collection or something? Or maybe I can make my own fragrance!"

"You must make someone fall in love with you and then break their heart."

Kurt blinks, stops bouncing, and wiggles in his seat uncomfortably. "I don't think that's a very fun process," he finally says.

"Well, you have to do it," Gaelen declares forcefully. "We've all done it, and it's a requirement in here. Only then can you be a true son of Aphrodite."

"Well who am I supposed to go after?" Kurt says, getting angry now. "It's not like I have a ton of people lined up at the door waiting for me!"

"No, you don't need a million," Nick says slowly, standing next to Gaelen, with Jasmine on his side. "You only need one person. And since you're gay, you need one guy. We have someone for you."

Kurt sighs, frustrated. It's not a nice thing to do, but he wants to be accepted in the only place he truly feels welcome.

"Okay, who do you have in mind?" he says wearily.

"Blaine, of course, from Apollo cabin."

"What?" Kurt shrieks, standing up so fast that the chair topples over. "I-I won't do that!

"You're never going to be accepted by Mom if you don't," Nick warns.

Kurt shakes his head frantically. "I can't do that, not to Blaine. He's…he's my friend. He's the first friend I ever made here. He made me feel welcome and he helped me get claimed and everything. You don't understand how much he's helped me! Besides, he doesn't even like me!"

Gaelen rolls his eyes. "Kurt, you are incredibly dim."

"Hey!"

"I'm serious," Gaelen cautions. "You have to do this. You won't be accepted otherwise. And Blaine is so in love with you that it's disgusting to watch."

"Almost as disgusting as watching you and Jason play tonsil hockey?" Kurt sneers.

The entire cabin gasps, and a heavy silence falls. Gaelen narrows her eyes.

"Don't cross me, Hummel," Gaelen says dangerously after a few seconds of frightening silence. "I swear, don't even bring Jason–"

"Is that why you like him?" Kurt says, his voice almost rising into a scream, his eyes wide and accusing. "You want to break his heart too?"

Gaelen rolls her eyes and places her hands on her hips, giving Kurt a look that would have had any sane person trembling with terror. "I've already done my initiation. I've been at camp for three years. And what goes on between me and Jason is none of your business."

"It _is _my business, he's my friend!" Kurt screeches.

"And he's _my boyfriend!_" Gaelen cries, hands balling into fists. "You honestly don't think that I truly like him? I expected more from my _brother,_" she mocks.

"Well, I'm reconsidering the sanity and mental health of the _entire_ cabin right now, so I'm sorry if I'm questioning your actual feelings because apparently, _you guys like to hurt other people's feelings!"_

Gaelen slams her hand down onto the table next to her. "Enough," she says resolutely. "You're going to make Blaine fall in love with you, and then you're going to break his heart. It's final. You have to do it, _no exceptions_."

Gaelen looks at Nick, and he nods, walking over to Kurt. Nick escorts him out of the cabin, putting a hand on his back so he can't turn around and throw something at his stupid counselor. He's shaking from head to toe in anger and disbelief.

_Blaine, _he thinks. _I can't do this to Blaine._

But judging from the way Gaelen looked at him, he had no choice.


	6. Chapter 6

The sky is bright pink with rivulets of red and orange, painting a beautiful sunset. Blaine is dressed immaculately, which something he knows Kurt will appreciate. He's waiting at the very edge of the South Woods, clutching the letter in his hand like a lifeline.

He sees Kurt appear over the edge of the grassy slope, and his heart gives a funny little lurch. A grin appears on his face without even knowing it. He tries to smooth out his shirt and fumbles with his hair.

When Kurt's face is clear, Blaine runs up to him and gives him a big hug.

"Hey Kurt," Blaine says softly, smiling at him.

But Kurt's eyes are red and puffy, and his skin has lost the ethereal glow that's been on him for the past few days. His hair is mussed and unkempt, and he looks like his favorite pet just died.

"What's wrong?" Blaine asks, brushing Kurt's bangs back. "You can tell me."

"D-don't do that," Kurt whispers shakily, grabbing Blaine's hand and pushing it back. "I…Blaine, I can't, I'm so sorry—"

"Whoa, what's wrong?" he asks again in an earnest voice, cradling Kurt's face. "Just tell me."

"We can't be friends anymore," Kurt says, and some unnamable force turns the beautiful sunset into a dead and black sky.

Blaine shakes his head. "What…why?"

Kurt is silently crying, and Blaine still thinks he looks beautiful. "The…I have to do something to you, and I can't do it."

"You're not being specific," Blaine presses. "Why do you have to?"

"Because…Aphrodite," Kurt whispers. "They…I have to _hurt _you," he whimpers, and shakes his head, tear droplets flying everywhere. "I won't. But we can't…I have to convince Gaelen that we're not friends, and then she won't make me and I won't have to break your heart—"

Blaine shushes him and Kurt is shaking with tears, and they clutch each other desperately. Blaine's crisp white shirt is feeling damp now, but it doesn't matter because those are Kurt's tears and he's going to murder the entire Aphrodite cabin for hurting Kurt like this.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Gaelen shrieks when Blaine storms into the Aphrodite cabin and screams for everyone to get out.

"I said GET OUT!" he shouts, banging the wall, and all of them scramble outside the cabin like last year's fashion is on their heels.

"You better have a fucking good reason for this," Gaelen threatens, "because I am about this close—"

"Well I am THIS close to snapping off your pretty little curly head and giving it to the Ares cabin as a trophy," Blaine snarls, "so just shut up and listen to me."

Gaelen just glares, but sits back down in front of her vanity.

"I have no idea what sick things your cabin does, but I want to know why Kurt was in tears when we met yesterday night."

"Oh, a romantic rendezvous?" Gaelen sneers, dabbing at her makeup. "I feel like puking."

"What did you do to him?"

Gaelen snaps the makeup back shut and turns around to look at Blaine, her normally warm brown eyes flaming with suppressed anger. "I want you to listen to _me _now. What he has to do is a ritual, a requirement. That is the only way he's ever going to be accepted in this cabin. Now, it's none of your business about what this cabin does, or how I run it. I'm the counselor of Aphrodite, and you're a son of Apollo. This has _nothing _to do with you Blaine. So stop acting like a stupid kid who pokes his nose into everything he sees!"

"That's bullshit!" Blaine shouts, his face going red with anger. "This has _nothing _to do with whatever fucking cabin you're in! This is about Kurt and why he was so upset the other day!"

Gaelen sighs dramatically, plopping down onto the seat in front of the mirror. "You're making this too easy for him. You're too in love. It's so obvious."

Blaine's eyes go wide and he shakes his head. "I'm not in love with Kurt."

"Mm," Gaelen says nonchalantly. "Of _course _you aren't."

"Stop with the sarcasm!"

"I'm only doing it because you're too stubborn to admit it to yourself!" she shouts, standing up from the cushioned ottoman. "If you want to help Kurt out at _all_, maybe you should start by wondering why you care so much about him in the first place!"

"We're only _friends!_" he shouts frustratingly. "How many times do I have to say that?"

"Apparently, a million times wouldn't help you realize that maybe you are in love with Kurt," Gaelen mocks, brushing back her hair. She ties it into a loose ponytail and straightens herself, her posture stiff and towering.

"I'm done talking to you, Blaine. This conversation is over. You can either have another freak-out in Apollo cabin or listen to what I just told you. Now _get the fuck out_."

Gaelen's tone means business, and Blaine doesn't want to deal with an angry Aphrodite kid. The last time someone pissed off the counselor of Aphrodite cabin, they ended up ugly for at least a month. No matter how hard they tried, hair would not stay put, every single outfit looked horrible, and makeup had absolutely no effect. While Blaine isn't a snob for looks, he doesn't want to end up like _that _either.

Blaine leaves, shaken and frustrated. He wants to go looking for Kurt again, who's probably singing with some of the Apollo kids (he's made some new friends there). But after what Gaelen said to him, he's not sure if he can face Kurt for a while.

* * *

"Hey," Kurt whispers when Blaine walks down the slope.

"Hey yourself," he replies with fake happiness, and gives Kurt a hug. He breathes in the smell of that cologne that Kurt loves to use, and it makes him smell like spring, just without the bees or the allergies.

"So where'd you go?" Kurt asks, tucking his hair behind his ear and flipping a book open. It rests on his lap. "Lyra was giving me a lecture and Eric just looked kind of lost. Jason tried to save me but, you know, Lyra is unstoppable when she gets going."

"Oh, the joys of having a sister," Blaine mutters dryly, and Kurt laughs softly. "What was she ranting about this time?"

"Well, it started off as a simple question, and then she went off into a full-fledged war about the modern music industry and how it sucks," Kurt says airily, flipping towards the bookmarked page of his book.

"Oh Lyra," Blaine sighs exaggeratedly. "What are we going to do about her?"

"We could force her to listen to Chiron's opera CD's all day long," Kurt suggests, plucking a piece of grass off the field.

Blaine laughs. "You know about those?"

"He was playing it when I walked into his office the other day asking about the armory. Oh my god, it was the most horrible torture that my ears had to endure."

"Well, at any rate, you look gorgeous today," Blaine says fondly. Kurt giggles and his cheeks flush.

"You're only saying that because you have to."

"No, I mean it."

"Lies," Kurt replies, flipping through his book. "All a bunch of lies, I tell you."

"You're absolutely amazing," Blaine says dryly.

Kurt giggles and tosses his head back. "Of course I am."

Blaine rolls his eyes. "What are you reading?" he asks, changing the subject.

"Oh, it's nothing. Nick gave this to me, you know, my brother. I was bored one day and he just let me borrow this."

"So how is it in Aphrodite cabin now?" Blaine asks sheepishly. Ever since his big shouting match with Gaelen, he's been kind of afraid to ask. He hopes that Kurt wasn't punished for his stupidity.

Kurt shrugs. "It's more or less the same. But Gaelen keeps giving me funny looks now and then. I think she's on crack or something. She's been all twitchy."

"I'm pretty sure that she's not on crack," Blaine laughs. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you're doing well."

Kurt smiles a bit sadly. "As much as I love it here, I'll have to go back someday."

Blaine sits upright. "W-why?" he stutters, not believing the words that just came out from Kurt's mouth. "Why go back? You're _safe_ here!"

Kurt shakes his head. "I'm safe here, but I'm not complete. I have to at least tell my dad that I'm okay. As much as we argue, he's still my dad and we love each other."

It becomes really hard for Blaine to breathe. He's a year-rounder himself, and now he's hearing that Kurt's going to be gone for the majority of the year.

"And you know, since I'm a child of Aphrodite, I don't think monsters will come looking for me anyways. I'm not too dangerous."

"But you're still not safe out there," Blaine says urgently, hating the way he sounds so desperate, so whiny. "You need to be safe."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "Blaine, that's very sweet, but I'm not a glass doll. I won't break. And I need to sort stuff out, okay? Trust me, I won't forget about any of this."

"You promise?"

"Why would I? This is like my home now." Kurt sighs and tucks his knees under his shoulder, looking at the camp. "I couldn't leave forever even if I wanted to."

* * *

It's time for Capture the Flag.

Chiron had announced it on Monday's dinner. It had caused an uproar, the good kind. They haven't had a CTF game in a while. The Ares cabin had taken things a bit too far last time and the camper they injured was still in recovery.

The reason, apparently, was because of Kurt. Since they had a new camper, it was only fair that they celebrate and welcome him with a round of everyone's favorite game.

Everyone was suddenly completely thankful and in love with Kurt for bringing this back. He just looked adorably confused and smiled to everyone who was hugging him.

So Blaine takes him to the armory today before dinner to try to find him a suit and a sword that fits him. Kurt's really not the best at fighting, but he still needs a weapon just in case anyone decides to attack him. Blaine's stomach tosses and turns at the thought of Kurt being injured.

Blaine and Kurt duel with a bunch of different swords to see which one fits Kurt the best before Kurt actually disarms him on the sixth sword that they try. Kurt blushes and puts the sword down, babbling an apology when Blaine just smiles and gives Kurt a hug, handing him the sword.

They end up finding a pretty good suit of armor. It's kind of a tight fit, but Kurt looks great in it. The moment he walks though, he stumbles forward into Blaine and they crash onto the floor.

"You're heavy," Blaine groans, the metal digging into his stomach.

"I'm sorry!" Kurt squeaks, trying to get up but falling down again. His elbow jabs into Blaine's hip and he winces.

Blaine tries to smile without looking like he's in utter pain. "I-it's okay. Just, um, get off please. Roll yourself over."

Kurt grabs onto Blaine's shoulder and rolls off Blaine and onto his back.

"Oh that's better," Blaine sighs, rubbing his bruised body.

"I'm sorry," Kurt repeats shyly, brushing his bangs back. "It's hard to walk in, and I didn't know that I would fall on you."

Blaine laughs, holding up a hand and trying to sit up. "It's fine, really. I'm just a little bruised. I'll be set for tonight's game."

"So, we're on the same team right?" Kurt asks nervously. "I really don't know how to play this at all, especially not the sword version of this game."

Blaine nods. "Jason got Aphrodite, Athena, and Hermes on our side. That's a lot of campers. Ares cabin got all the rest, including the children of the minor gods. They're a force, but we can beat them."

"Is the Hecate cabin allowed to use their magic thingies?" Kurt asks, brushing off his armor. "I don't think that's very fair."

Blaine chuckles. "That's like saying Dionysus kids can't grow their grapes or Apollo kids can't use their archery skills. We're all given special talents, and we might as well use them. That's what the camp is for. But yeah, they're allowed to use magic, as long as it's within the rules. Chiron established them a while ago when the Hecate kids decided to just teleport the flag to where they were standing."

Kurt laughs, and the sun from the windows lights up his face. "Did they win that game?"

"We wanted a re-match, but yes, for that game, Ares cabin won."

They heard the dinner bells ringing, and Blaine stands up first, pulling Kurt along with him. "Come on. Let's go eat. After dinner, we'll play."

* * *

"Alright campers, you know the rules!" Chiron shouts, his voice seeming to amplify in the cool air of the woods. "Have a good game, and stay safe! If you want to keep this up, then make sure your friends from Ares cabin don't take it too far."

The Ares kids at least have the sense to look guilty, if not feel it.

"Now, go to your stations!"

They all cheer and march forward, the two teams walking into two different directions of the wood. Kurt stumbles alongside Blaine, trying to keep his footing.

"So, um, what do I do?" he asks nervously. Blaine looks so confident in his armor, and it sets Kurt off a little.

But then he flashes him a smile and all of the butterflies in Kurt's stomach disappear. "It's simple, really. It's kind of like the P.E. version of Capture the Flag, except it's more dangerous. So watch out for anyone who has the red feathers on top of their helmet. They're the enemy. And always have your sword ready, just in case."

"In case of what?" Kurt said, his voice getting higher and higher.

Blaine gives him a reassuring smile. "Look, it's just a precaution. Don't worry about it. I'm sure no one will injure you."

"What about you?" Kurt asks hysterically. He has to say something. Anxiety is taking over again and fear is bubbling up. "Will you get hurt?"

Grinning, Blaine throws an arm around Kurt's shoulder and pulls him into a sideways hug. "I'll be fine. It's sweet that you care." Kurt blushes and looks away. "But hey, my father won't let me stay hurt for long. He'll probably heal me as soon as I get an injury."

When they reach their destination, Jason splits everyone up into groups of four or five. Blaine is paired up with the runners and Kurt is put with two of his siblings and Eric. He waves to Blaine shyly, and he waves back.

The groups leave, one by one. Kurt follows Eric into the woods. They're walking at a fast pace, light jogging more than anything. Kurt tries to keep the twigs from scratching his face.

Eric stops at the opening of a meadow. Kurt can see their flag at the top of a grassy hill, overlooking the woods.

"Isn't that kind of an obvious place to put it?" Kurt whispers to Eric.

He shrugs in reply. "But the thing is, getting there is going to be enough of a challenge. They'll see it and think that they have an easy steal." Eric pulled out his sword. "Not so much," he adds with a grin.

Kurt mimics him and tugs his own sword out of its scabbard. He weighs it in his hand, and it feels a hundred times heavier than it was when he and Blaine first tried it out.

His siblings in the group are Nadia and Kieran, tall and beautiful and graceful. They're really, really siblings though, a year apart in age. Nadia tosses her hair back.

"What are we supposed to do?" she asks haughtily.

Eric rolls his eyes. "We are supposed to prevent the other team from reaching that hill," he says, pointing at the flag. "I have a ton of traps in this bag, and we'll be setting them around the perimeter."

"Isn't that a little cowardly?" she asks, and Kurt just wishes she would _shut up._

"Well princess, unless you can think of a better way to stop the other team from reaching that hill, we'll be doing this my way."

Turning a violent shade of pink, Nadia keeps her mouth shut and refuses to look at anyone. Eric smiles and tosses a small package to each person in their group.

"These are your traps and explosives," he says, taking his own package out of his bag. "Set them around the circle of the meadow and around the base of the hill. After that, we can fight. You two, stay in the woods and go around the edge. Kurt, you come with me and we'll set up at the hill. We don't have much time. They might be here sooner than anticipated."

* * *

**A/N: sorry this part took so long to write. I was really busy and swamped with so much stuff that I kind of forgot to sit down and write for a while.**

**So yes, the next chapter is the official exciting part of Capture the Flag. Of course, there's going to be drama and all that, but that's what makes a good story good! :D**

**And I'm trying really hard to improve my schoolwork and grades and everything so now updates might be a little slower. Thank you for everyone who takes the time to comment. You guys are the reason I write.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay…I've had a lot of personal issues and every thing has been really hard to deal with. But I finally sat down and got to writing. So I'm sorry for updating so slowly, but I hope that you understand.**

* * *

Kurt's walking side by side with Eric, setting up small explosives around the trees when he can hear distant noises. Kurt freezes, drops the bag, and looks around like a frightened deer.

"I can hear them," Kurt whispers fearfully. "They're really close. We should get out of here as quickly as we can."

Eric is tense. Kurt can see it in Eric's eyes and the way that his shoulders are set, but Eric shakes his head and picks up Kurt's bag for him. "We still have to finish the job. They shouldn't bother us too much. What they want is up there," he says, pointing to the glittering silver flag.

Kurt swallows and nods, taking the bag from Eric's hands and tying another tripping net across the two trees.

They're almost done, and Kurt can hear the rustling noises get closer. He's so tense that not even the upcoming spring Alexander McQueen collection and Godiva hot chocolate could relax him now. Kurt rests a hand on his sword, heart pounding at a million miles per minute.

Kurt keeps thinking about Blaine, and he wonders if he's okay. Jason probably has a super smart plan and all, but his stupid brain conjures up images of Blaine getting injured. He gasps and shakes his head, trying to clear the pictures out of his head before they get too out of hand. He has to focus. He can't be distracted at this time.

Suddenly, the noises stop just as Kurt has finished fastening the last explosive onto the nearest shrub. A scream cuts through the air, and two armor-clad campers jump out of the trees, coming at Kurt with glinting swords.

Kurt's eyes widen with fear, and he shakily takes out his sword.

"Oh, look at pretty boy here. He thinks he can stop us from taking the flag," one of the campers sneer. He can tell that they're Ares children. They're poised to injure, to maim, to harm. Kurt is sweating rivers now.

"Puck, don't hurt him," the second camper growls. "We're to get the flag only. If we do any harm—"

"Well, if I can slash him a bit, it doesn't hurt anyone, does it?" Puck snarls, advancing on Kurt. "I'm tired of losing. Every single time the Apollo cabin goes against us, we lose."

"They go against us _every time_," his friend reminded him with a roll of his eyes. "So we always lose."

"My point exactly!" Puck exclaims, slamming his fist into a nearby trunk, making Kurt jump in fright. He holds his sword tighter, wishing that he could use some of the moves that he's learned from Jason.

"J-just go then," Kurt stammers, feeling the little bit of courage that he had abandon him. "I'll let you guys g-go. The flag's right there."

Puck leers at him. "No, I think a bit of cabin pride is in order here. You're not going anywhere, and neither are we."

He holds out his sword, walking towards Kurt, who is shaking from head to toe. "Come on, fight! You either kill or be killed."

"Wait! I'm in Aphrodite, not Apollo! Please, this is just a game!" Kurt exclaims, dodging a wide slash Puck makes with his sword.

"No, not just a game," his friend says darkly.

Kurt doesn't know what to do. Jason never taught him how to handle two strong and pissed-off Ares campers.

Puck comes at him again, his sword above his head. Kurt is ready and blocks the strike, but Puck is strong. He shoves Kurt, throwing him against a nearby tree. Kurt's back hits the trunk with a bang and his head is throbbing with pain.

He grabs his sword off of the ground, but his arms are shaking. He can barely hold it, but he keeps it in front of him, his arms trembling.

His hair is sticky now, with sweat and blood.

"I don't think your mummy will be too pleased to learn that I killed you," Puck sneers, "but you know, my dad can always sweet-talk her." He raises his sword again.

Kurt whimpers and holds up the sword a bit higher, trying to block out his face. "Please," he cries out, his sobs echoing out in the forest. "Please don't. Please stop, I'm begging you." He can taste blood on his lips.

"Sorry," Puck says. "Ares doesn't give any mercy."

Kurt grips his sword tighter, trying to see where Puck will strike. He wants to block it, but he can't move. It's as if someone has tied blocks of lead to his limbs.

_Blaine_, he thinks as he closes his eyes.

A harsh shout cuts through the air, and Kurt can tell it's a girl's voice. But he's so faint and shaken that he can barely open his eyes.

He can hear Puck's shouts. It feels like his ears are exploding from the noise. A hand is shaking him, making his head hit the tree trunk over and over again.

"This isn't helping," Kurt mumbles wearily.

"You have to get up Kurt," the girl says. Her voice is familiar, but Kurt can't open his eyes. "I need to get you out of here and to the Apollo cabin. Our side already has the flag. They're close to the border."

Kurt moans in protest when she tries to lift him, but he stumbles on his feet and tries to get them to stay flat.

"Blaine," he whispers.

"Yes, I know you want him right now," the girl says testily, "but we don't have time for that right now, okay?"

"No wait," Kurt whispers. "Don't."

The girl ignores his words and yanks him up and throws him over her shoulder with surprising strength. At first he wonders if it's a child of Ares, but then he thought of the fact that they were on opposite sides in this game. And when the girl starts to run, his head thumps against her shoulder blades and he passes out from the force, but not before hearing the sound of a horn blowing in the distance.

* * *

"Is he going to be okay," Blaine asks nervously, staring at Kurt's sleeping form on the ground, surrounded by medical instruments and nectar.

"I patched him up just fine," Jason replies, tugging his sleeves back down and putting all of the medical instruments back in its case. "He had a lot of scratches and cuts on his back and a bit on his front. Kurt's just a bit out of it right now. He'll wake up in a few hours."

The dinner horn sounds, and Jason stands up. "You wanna get something to eat or do you wanna stay here?"

Blaine smiles sheepishly. "I-I think I'll stay here, you know."

Jason laughs knowingly. "Alright, I'll sneak some food back for you into the cabin if I can. Make sure you come back before curfew though."

"Will do," Blaine assures him. When Jason leaves, Blaine settles down right next to Kurt and takes his hand hesitantly, watching his face for any signs of awakening. When he doesn't spot anything, Blaine grips Kurt's hand tighter and pushes back his own hair.

Sighing, he lays down right next to Kurt. They may have won the game, but he would have rather lost if it meant that Kurt didn't have to get injured. Jason _did _say that Kurt was going to be fine, but his own personal fear made him worry for Kurt's safety no matter what.

Blaine checks his watch to see that it was only 7:00. He'd just nap for an hour or so and then go back to his cabin. He even adjusts his watch to set off in an hour and a half, just to be safe. Scooting close to Kurt, closer than he would have ever normally dared, Blaine rests his head right next to Kurt's shoulder and closes his eyes.

* * *

Kurt blinks slowly, taking in his surroundings. His head hurts a little, but the sharp pain in his back had disappeared. He shifts sideways, and sees a pile of rumpled blankets next to him. There's a napkin on top of the pillow.

He smoothes it out and glances at the writing on the napkin. It's a note from Blaine. He smiles brightly, without even knowing.

_This is Blaine. You were injured during the game. Luckily Gaelen brought you back to Chiron, or else you might be in worse shape._

"Gaelen saved me?" Kurt whispers. "But she hates my guts."

_Jason healed you, and you should be good if you just rest for a day or two. I decided to stay with you for a bit until curfew. If you're hungry, there's some food on the table next to you. Chiron said that until you're fully recovered you're not supposed to do any rigorous activity. I guess you're excused from classes for at least three days. That's one good thing to come out of this._

Kurt laughed softly. That was Blaine, always trying to look for that silver lining.

_I have no idea when you wake up, but when you do, can you please let me know somehow? I wanna make sure you're okay._

_ Well, I hope you get better soon. You should eat and drink as much as you can._

Smiling, Kurt tucked the note inside his pocket and pushed himself up slowly. He manages to stand up without falling down, but when he tries to stretch, a flare of pain shot through his back and he cries out, grabbing a nearby bench for support. He gasps, waiting for the pain to go away.

He stands up again, making sure to move as little as possible. There is a small wooden table with a picnic basket on top of it, and Kurt flips open the wooden cover.

Inside, there's an ice-cold bottle of kiwi strawberry Snapple, possibly his favorite drink ever. A fresh-looking chicken salad lies next to the Snapple, with small packets of ranch taped onto the plastic lid. There's a small box of chocolate chip cookies with a post-it note on top of the lid. He tears it off and reads it.

"Here's something sweet for you," Kurt reads, blushing and smiling to himself. He tucks the post-it into his pocket and starts to take out the food, popping the lid of the Snapple and taking a sip. It tastes as if it was plucked right out of the fridge.

"Thanks, Blaine," whispers Kurt, and he eats his little dinner in the Big House, thinking of Blaine and his sweet gestures.

That night, Blaine dreams of Kurt and his smiles.

* * *

Three days later Kurt's free to leave the Big House, despite Blaine's worries that he might not be fully healed yet. Kurt just rolls his eyes at Blaine and walks out as Blaine shouts healing procedures after Kurt.

His schedule returns to normal, and his siblings welcome him back with open arms. Nick makes sure to tell him everything he's missed. Kurt thinks he hears something about cursing the Ares cabin with ugly outfits and bad hair for a whole month for what they did to him in the Capture the Flag game.

It might be a figment of his imagination, but his heart swells with emotion, feeling like he's found his real family: the place where he really does belong.

However, the moment he thinks about family, he thinks of his father. And the happiness he felt a few minutes disappears and he wonders how his dad is doing. He wonders if he could visit his dad, if it's even safe to do so. He feels safe at camp, but he has to know if anything has happened to his dad.

"Kurt? Is something wrong?" Nick asks, looking at him with a worried expression.

Kurt blinks for a few seconds, considering whether to tell Nick or not. After all, they are half- brothers, and if he can't trust his siblings, who else can he trust?

He shoves the thoughts into the back of his mind and just plasters on a fake smile, something that he's used to doing. "I'm fine," he murmurs, and tries to continue their discussion on the new fall fashions.

Nick raises an eyebrow, but he doesn't say a word. He lets Kurt ramble on and on about the timeless brands and the highly overrated ones, but a plan is already formulating inside his head.

* * *

"We need to talk," Nick states bluntly, glaring at Blaine.

"Um, can this wait, because I need to get back to my archery—"

"Do you want your cabin to get the same treatment as Ares'?" Nick cuts in, his voice dangerously sweet. Blaine blinks and shakes his head quickly, dropping his bow and arrow down onto the ground.

"Good. Now, something's been bothering Kurt lately, and I'm pretty sure I know what it is. And I can fix it."

"Is Kurt okay—"

"He's fine, he's fine," Nick brushes off airily. "But he's been thinking about something for the past few days and I can't get him to tell me what it is. But I've done some thinking of my own, and there's only one thing that could put him into deep thought."

"What are you—"

Nick laughs and slaps Blaine on the shoulder playfully. "Now, don't play dumb, Blaine. Anyone can see how much Kurt likes you, and anything with eyes can see how much you like him too."

Blaine makes a noise of protests and waves his hands around in the air. "Yeah, because he's my friend and—"

"Let me stop you right there," Nick says seriously. "Every single person in camp knows that you're practically in love with Kurt. And I know that he likes you, too. Kurt's my brother, and I want him to be happy. So I want you to go out on a date with him. I'm sure that after you ask him out, he'll be much happier and stop being so serious all the time."

Blaine furrows his eyebrows. "Wait, are you even sure that Kurt's thinking about this? It could be something completely different, you know."

"Ah, you don't object to the date! Good, I've set it up for you already. Follow this list, and everything will go perfectly." Nick thrusts a long thin sheet of white paper into Blaine's hands, and starts to walk away. "Bye-bye now!"

Staring at Nick's retreating figure, Blaine blinks slowly with wearing a befuddled expression on his face. "What the hell just happened?" he muttered to himself. Looking at the long list in his hands, he groans and walks back to his archery class, waiting for the merciless teasing that was about to come.

* * *

Post A/N:

This chapter took much too long to post, and I thank you guys for your patience. I've been going through tough personal times, and since junior year has started for me, I won't be able to write extensively. I'll try to post and write as much when I can, but I don't know how things are going to work out. And I hope that you guys will stick with me, and I'll try to do the best I can.

So here's a little refresher for those who still don't remember all of the OC's names. If you like this fic and want it to make sense, maybe you should save this page for future reference). This is the list of the OC's. I don't think I'll be adding anymore, as it just gets confusing.

And I probably won't be using too many of these characters. They're just kind of a reference guide if I do happen to mention them at any point in the story, which will be scarce. And I don't think the ND's will play a big part in the story. It will just be very Klaine-centered, with a few mentions of other characters to add more interest.

**Counselors:**

Aphrodite—Gaelen

Apollo—Jason

Ares—Aaron

Athena—Sarah

Demeter—Avani (means Earth in Hindu)

Dionysus— Connor

Hephaestus— Altan

Hermes—Gavin

Poseidon—Percy Jackson

Zeus, Hera—none

**ND:**

Puck—Dionysus

Quinn—Aphrodite

Lauren—Ares

Rachel—Apollo

Finn— Hermes

Tina— Athena

Mike—(I have no idea where to put him)

Brittney—Aphrodite

Santana—Aphrodite

Artie—Athena

Mercedes—Hunter of Artemis

Sam— Athena


	8. Chapter 8

**so this chapter is super short, but I just wanted to update for the sake of updating.**

**um, times haven't gotten any easier for me and I apologize for it. there's just been so much crap happening and it's been hard for me to even take a moment for myself, much less sit down and really type this out. I could definitely BS a chapter and just update it, but I feel like it would be cheating you guys and myself. so I'm sorry for taking so long and thank you so much for having patience with me. I couldn't have asked for a more understanding and patient audience.**

* * *

For the rest of the week, Kurt can tell that there's something off with Blaine. Every time he tries to talk to him, Blaine just mutters something under his breath and walks away, head down as if he's afraid to look at Kurt. When he talks to Nick about it, he just gives Kurt a big smile as if he's got everything all figured out, and that frightens him even more.

Inside, he's mentally preparing himself to leave camp and visit his dad. He's already set a date in his head, and all he has to do is ask Chiron for permission. Sometimes, in the middle of archery class or Greek lessons, he thinks about how hard it'll be to leave this place. He's only been at Camp Half-Blood for a little less than three months, but it already feels like a part of him, just as the friends he's made have become as important in his life as the air he breathes.

* * *

Blaine opens the cabin door to find Jason standing on the threshold, tapping his toes on the wood floor and staring at him. "We have to talk, Blaine."

"I dunno what you want," Blaine mutters, and tries to push past Jason. But he's older and stronger, and he shoves Blaine back. He stumbles, and looks up to glare at Jason. "Please don't do this now."

"You've been acting off all week," Jason says. "What's going on, Blaine? It takes me at least five tries to get your attention, and when I do, it's like you're not even there. You don't even talk to Kurt, except when he turns around you stare at him like you're a man dying of thirst and he's an oasis—"

"I think I like him," Blaine blurts out, staring at the floor. "Nick…Kurt's brother said that…Kurt likes me too. B-but I don't know what to do. Kurt said before that he's going to leave sometime soon to see his dad and check up on him and what if he stays here? Kurt's not terribly dangerous, and monsters won't be very interested in him. But I'll miss him…and I don't want to ruin our friendship over something that won't even last. And I don't even know if he likes me or not and this is so stupid I feel like a chick flick."

Blaine throws himself onto Lyra's bed, and she's going to complain that his hair gel stained her sheets later, but he doesn't care. "I don't know what to do," he moans, shoving his face into the mattress.

Jason clears his throat awkwardly and pats his back, trying to comfort him but doing an absolutely horrid job of it. "I um, I don't know what to tell you? I mean Gaelen isn't even this complicated."

"And this is coming from the guy who used to think that gay guys had it easy because liking someone of the same gender meant less drama and complications," Blaine snorted.

"Hey, I was pretty ignorant before I met you, alright?" Jason jokes. "You're my best friend, okay? And I just don't like seeing you beat yourself up over something like this. Just tell Kurt you like him, see how things work out."

"Nick gave me a list," Blaine mentions after a few minutes of silence, "a list of directions on how to woo Kurt Hummel."

Jason cackles. "Wow, he must think that you really suck at romance to give a freaking list."

"Says the guy who blushed redder than Apollo's holy cows every time Gaelen looked at you!"

"Shut up!"

* * *

Kurt is just as shocked as the rest of his siblings when Blaine shows up in front of Aphrodite cabin two hours after curfew, holding a bouquet of flowers half-hidden behind his back and asking to speak to Kurt in private.

As he gets out of his bunk and walked towards the door, he can feel all of his siblings staring at him, and a few of them make dirty jokes and suggestions as he walks towards the door.

"These are for you," Blaine says shakily, holding out the bouquet of scarlet red and butter yellow roses when Kurt reaches the door.

Kurt takes it warily, and he steps outside, closing the door behind them. "Blaine, what's going on?" he asks "You look like you're about to pass out."

"It's—Kurt it's nothing. I just…um, oh god I can't do this. I'm not good at this."

"Blaine, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on. You haven't been speaking to me for a week and now you're giving me flowers."

"I was going to ask you if um, if you wanted to go out with me," Blaine says awkwardly, dragging the sentence out and looking down at the ground. "Because I like you…and stuff."

Kurt blinks with surprise, and took a step back. "You do?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaine laughs, but it sounds forced and he does look like he's going to faint.

"I'm just a bit surprised. Why are you just telling me this now?"

"Well, I, um…Jason said that I should tell you…and Nick—"

"Nick?" Kurt cries out with disbelief. "What did my brother do to you?"

"He said that I should tell you…and that you liked me too." At this point, Blaine's head is so low that it's almost parallel to the ground.

"I—oh Blaine…"

Blaine lifts his head up slowly. "I thought…I thought that you just wanted to be friends, but you're just all kinds of amazing. And sometimes I wondered if I was making everything up in my head."

Kurt looks at him and sighs deeply, lifting his hand up to cup Blaine's face. "I don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to relationships, you know," he says softly. "I could really mess everything up."

Blaine smiles so brightly that Kurt almost thinks that it's daytime for a moment. "I don't care. Cause I suck at romance just as much as you do."

Kurt laughs and Blaine leans forward, hugging him tightly. Kurt returns the embrace just as enthusiastically, and they would have held each other much longer if it weren't for the sounds of Kurt's siblings shouting "Get it Hummel!" through the windows.

They pull apart, and Kurt can see the soft hazel of Blaine's eyes in the dim moonlight. "I promise you that after I go to visit my dad, we'll pick up where we left off. And you can give me gigantic bouquets and old vintage records and expensive clothes."

"And what do I get?" Blaine huffs, pretending to be offended, but his eyes are eager and happy.  
"You get me, of course," Kurt replies with a grin.

They're reluctant to say goodbye to each other, but Blaine reminds them that they aren't even supposed to be out because it's way past curfew, and Kurt eventually lets him go and walks back to his cabin, but not before Blaine kisses him shyly on the cheek.

His siblings taunt him, just like normal siblings should, when he comes back inside the cabin, and he blushes as red as a tomato but smiles to himself the entire night.

He's never slept better.

* * *

The next morning, Kurt informs Chiron of his decision to leave, and Chiron eventually relents after Kurt promises to return within two weeks. If not, Chiron warned, they would send a search party after him.

"Many underestimate the power of Aphrodite," Chiron says to him while writing down a list of things for him to bring on his trip to Ohio. "They do not know that love and beauty are powerful forces, stronger than swords and more tempting than all the riches in the world."

"Um, okay," Kurt replies blankly when Chiron hands him a list to bring to the camp store. He gives Kurt four golden drachmas to cover the cost of the supplies.

"Is Blaine coming with you?" Chiron says casually as Kurt reads the list.

Kurt stiffened, and he clutched the list tightly. "No, he's not, and he doesn't know I'm leaving today. I don't want him to worry."

"It would not be wise to keep this from him," Chiron said kindly.

"I'm not going to…he'll learn about it from other people." Kurt looked away. "He knows I'm leaving anyways."

"You aren't going to be doing him any good if you don't say goodbye to him at least before you go."

"I can't…I can't let him worry. I'll be fine. I'll be home before you know it."

As Kurt walked out the door, Chiron said, "I'm glad you see it that way."

It wasn't until Kurt made it to the camp store that he realized what Chiron meant.

Kurt's standing on the hill overlooking the entire camp, and he takes in a deep breath. The air is fresh, clean, and when a gentle breeze blows around him, he feels absolutely perfect.

And then he feels the weight of his backpack, and the drachmas in his pocket, and then the feeling of perfection blows away as quickly as the wind.

He can see everything from up here, and Kurt quickly spots Blaine, who has a free day and is sitting next to the lake talking to Jason and Gaelen, and they're laughing as if they've known each other for their whole lives. Gaelen's head is resting on Jason's shoulders, and Kurt suddenly wishes he could be there next to Blaine, with their hands intertwined and their bodies close.

Chiron lays a hand on his shoulder. "Kurt, are you ready to go?"

Kurt looks at Blaine one last time, and his head is thrown back in laughing, and if Kurt tries hard enough, it's like he can almost hear it from here.

"I'm ready," he whispers, and Chiron steers him gently away.

* * *

**again, I'm sorry this took so long to be finished, but I hope you guys understand and I'm so lucky to have you guys as an audience. I'll try my best to get the next chapter up ASAP.**


	9. PSA

So I'm officially putting this story on hiatus. I'm terribly sorry and it brings me great pain to do this, but I just can't dangle the possibility of a next update in front of you guys any longer. I haven't felt the desire or inspiration to write this story in a very long time, and it's just unfair to the readers of this fic. So I'm putting it on hiatus, and hopefully one day I'll get the inspiration to continue writing. If not, then thank you so very much for making this journey a pleasurable one.

I'm so sorry that this had to happen, and I hope to see you guys soon again when I publish the next chapter.


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